Indiana University Athletics
Friday, September 13
Lexington, Ky.
10:00 AM
Indiana University
vs
Florida Gulf Coast
Hoosiers Hit the Road for Bluegrass Battle
9/11/2019 10:15:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana volleyball team will travel for the first time in the 2019 season and they go to Lexington, Ky., for the Bluegrass Battle hosted by Kentucky.
The Schedule
Friday September 13
10:00 a.m. vs. Florida Gulf Coast
6:00 p.m. vs. Cleveland State
Live Stats Florida Gulf Coast: https://bit.ly/2kDlc3e
Live Stats Cleveland State: https://bit.ly/2kDlc3e
Saturday September 14
4:00 p.m. vs. #15 Kentucky
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2kDlc3e
Video: https://es.pn/2kFFKbp
Wilkinson Hall
Wilkinson Hall was dedicated on January 16, 2019. Wilkinson Hall is a multi-use training and performance center that is the new home venue for the Indiana Volleyball and Wrestling programs. The 3,000-seat venue is used as a competition facility for both Indiana Volleyball and Indiana Wrestling, as well as the practice facility for volleyball. Wilkinson Hall is named after IU alumnus Jay Wilkinson and his family, who have an incredible history of support for IU Athletics and its student-athletes.
The Hoosier Invitational
Last week the Hoosiers hosted their second straight home tournament as they welcomed Oregon State, Oklahoma and Yale. Indiana went 2-1 on the weekend with wins against Oregon State and Yale and a five-set defeat against Oklahoma.
Deyshia Lofton was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second straight weekend. Against Yale, Lofton hit .654 with 17 blocks and added seven blocks. Lofton is hitting .508 on the season and is second on the team in kills with 70. Lofton also leads Indiana with 32 blocks on the season. Breana Edwards has tallied double digit kills in six of the Hoosiers seven matches this season. Edwards had her second highest total of the season with 17, against Yale and leads Indiana in kills for the season with 105.
The 2019 Hoosiers
The Indiana volleyball team opens the 2019 season under second year head coach Steve Aird. In 2018, Aird took a team that had finished 1-19 in the Big Ten in 2017 to 7-13 in the conference, with a season sweep of Ohio State and win against No. 14 Michigan. The 2019 squad returns nine players, has nine new players and seven seniors.
Kicking Things Off at Home
After playing their entire non-conference schedule on the road in 2018, the Hoosiers are home for the first two weekends in the 2019 season. Indiana will play its first seven matches of the season at home. Last year the Hoosiers set a new average attendance record of 1,273 fans per match in the final season at University Gym. In their first two weekends of matches in Wilkinson Hall, the Hoosiers averaged 1,691 fans per match.
Returning Hoosiers
The Hoosiers return 2018 All-Big Ten Deyshia Lofton, who will be a senior this year. Lofton recorded 281 kills and hit .336 on the season. Lofton is 11 blocks from cracking the top 10 in program history for career blocks. Breana Edwards returns after a freshman season in which she led the team in kills with 360. Edwards traveled to Japan this summer with the Big Ten foreign tour team. Bayli Lebo will be a junior this season. In 2018 Lebo set the Indiana single season digs record with 525 for the season. Hayden Huybers hit .334 in Big Ten matches last season, the fourth best in school history. Kendall Beerman returns after she saw her 2018 cut short due to injury.
The New Hoosiers
There are nine new Hoosiers that were not on the 2018 roster, including five transfers and four freshmen. Emily Fitzner, First Team Under Armour All-American will be a freshman setter. Fitzner is the sister of former IU basketball player Evan Fitzner. Megan Sloan returns home to Indiana after three seasons in Louisville. Sloan is the daughter of Brian Sloan, a member of the 1987 IU men's basketball national championship team. Sloan's teammate on that 1987 team, Jeff Oliphant has his daughter Sophie, who will be a freshman on the 2019 volleyball team as well. Haley Armstrong, member of the Canadian Junior National Team, will be a freshman defensive specialist for the Hoosiers. Jacqui Armer transferred to Indiana after three seasons at LSU.
IU Head Coach Steve Aird
"I think we're kind of right on schedule for where we need to be. I told you I wanted to get to eight, nine, ten wins in the preseason. Three matches coming up this weekend that are all 'if we play well, we're in them, if we don't play well all three teams will beat us.' They're well coached, they're good. I think Kentucky specifically on the Saturday it's before the football game there, I think they're playing Florida. We moved the match time to accommodate their crowd and their fans, and I just think that's fun. I mean I didn't want to dodge it; I want to play a really good team in a really good environment. They're picked to win the SEC and I think they're excellent, but we've got matches on Friday against two team; Florida Gulf Coast is undefeated, Cleveland State is always perennially going to win their conference and they've done a great job for a long time.
So, we're in a situation where, and again I said this before last week's tournament, we are playing real teams in a real preseason where we have to play really well to win, not 50% and then just get wins thrown at us. We open the Big Ten season at Minnesota, at Wisconsin. We need to play in an environment that kind of feels like that, and I think this weekend is just going to be an unbelievably tough test against two really good teams back-to-back on Friday, and then Kentucky on their home court on Saturday. I'm excited though. I think that's why you come to Indiana; you want to play in big time matches. You know I want to schedule big time matches, we want to play the best competition we can play, and if you're a recruit or you're a kid I've been talking to about coming you want to play in an environment like we have, you want to go and play the heavyweights, and that's why you want to come to a school like Indiana now."
The Schedule
Friday September 13
10:00 a.m. vs. Florida Gulf Coast
6:00 p.m. vs. Cleveland State
Live Stats Florida Gulf Coast: https://bit.ly/2kDlc3e
Live Stats Cleveland State: https://bit.ly/2kDlc3e
Saturday September 14
4:00 p.m. vs. #15 Kentucky
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2kDlc3e
Video: https://es.pn/2kFFKbp
Wilkinson Hall
Wilkinson Hall was dedicated on January 16, 2019. Wilkinson Hall is a multi-use training and performance center that is the new home venue for the Indiana Volleyball and Wrestling programs. The 3,000-seat venue is used as a competition facility for both Indiana Volleyball and Indiana Wrestling, as well as the practice facility for volleyball. Wilkinson Hall is named after IU alumnus Jay Wilkinson and his family, who have an incredible history of support for IU Athletics and its student-athletes.
The Hoosier Invitational
Last week the Hoosiers hosted their second straight home tournament as they welcomed Oregon State, Oklahoma and Yale. Indiana went 2-1 on the weekend with wins against Oregon State and Yale and a five-set defeat against Oklahoma.
Deyshia Lofton was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second straight weekend. Against Yale, Lofton hit .654 with 17 blocks and added seven blocks. Lofton is hitting .508 on the season and is second on the team in kills with 70. Lofton also leads Indiana with 32 blocks on the season. Breana Edwards has tallied double digit kills in six of the Hoosiers seven matches this season. Edwards had her second highest total of the season with 17, against Yale and leads Indiana in kills for the season with 105.
The 2019 Hoosiers
The Indiana volleyball team opens the 2019 season under second year head coach Steve Aird. In 2018, Aird took a team that had finished 1-19 in the Big Ten in 2017 to 7-13 in the conference, with a season sweep of Ohio State and win against No. 14 Michigan. The 2019 squad returns nine players, has nine new players and seven seniors.
Kicking Things Off at Home
After playing their entire non-conference schedule on the road in 2018, the Hoosiers are home for the first two weekends in the 2019 season. Indiana will play its first seven matches of the season at home. Last year the Hoosiers set a new average attendance record of 1,273 fans per match in the final season at University Gym. In their first two weekends of matches in Wilkinson Hall, the Hoosiers averaged 1,691 fans per match.
Returning Hoosiers
The Hoosiers return 2018 All-Big Ten Deyshia Lofton, who will be a senior this year. Lofton recorded 281 kills and hit .336 on the season. Lofton is 11 blocks from cracking the top 10 in program history for career blocks. Breana Edwards returns after a freshman season in which she led the team in kills with 360. Edwards traveled to Japan this summer with the Big Ten foreign tour team. Bayli Lebo will be a junior this season. In 2018 Lebo set the Indiana single season digs record with 525 for the season. Hayden Huybers hit .334 in Big Ten matches last season, the fourth best in school history. Kendall Beerman returns after she saw her 2018 cut short due to injury.
The New Hoosiers
There are nine new Hoosiers that were not on the 2018 roster, including five transfers and four freshmen. Emily Fitzner, First Team Under Armour All-American will be a freshman setter. Fitzner is the sister of former IU basketball player Evan Fitzner. Megan Sloan returns home to Indiana after three seasons in Louisville. Sloan is the daughter of Brian Sloan, a member of the 1987 IU men's basketball national championship team. Sloan's teammate on that 1987 team, Jeff Oliphant has his daughter Sophie, who will be a freshman on the 2019 volleyball team as well. Haley Armstrong, member of the Canadian Junior National Team, will be a freshman defensive specialist for the Hoosiers. Jacqui Armer transferred to Indiana after three seasons at LSU.
IU Head Coach Steve Aird
"I think we're kind of right on schedule for where we need to be. I told you I wanted to get to eight, nine, ten wins in the preseason. Three matches coming up this weekend that are all 'if we play well, we're in them, if we don't play well all three teams will beat us.' They're well coached, they're good. I think Kentucky specifically on the Saturday it's before the football game there, I think they're playing Florida. We moved the match time to accommodate their crowd and their fans, and I just think that's fun. I mean I didn't want to dodge it; I want to play a really good team in a really good environment. They're picked to win the SEC and I think they're excellent, but we've got matches on Friday against two team; Florida Gulf Coast is undefeated, Cleveland State is always perennially going to win their conference and they've done a great job for a long time.
So, we're in a situation where, and again I said this before last week's tournament, we are playing real teams in a real preseason where we have to play really well to win, not 50% and then just get wins thrown at us. We open the Big Ten season at Minnesota, at Wisconsin. We need to play in an environment that kind of feels like that, and I think this weekend is just going to be an unbelievably tough test against two really good teams back-to-back on Friday, and then Kentucky on their home court on Saturday. I'm excited though. I think that's why you come to Indiana; you want to play in big time matches. You know I want to schedule big time matches, we want to play the best competition we can play, and if you're a recruit or you're a kid I've been talking to about coming you want to play in an environment like we have, you want to go and play the heavyweights, and that's why you want to come to a school like Indiana now."
Players Mentioned
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
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